March 16, 2023
NEWS
March 16, 2023
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Joel Tirado,
Director of Communications
(518) 445-4179
joel.tirado@rock.suny.edu
Report Finds Significant Social, Economic, and Fiscal Benefits from Organization Offering Substance-Use Disorder Recovery Services
Second Chance Opportunities, Inc., a New York Capital Region-based substance-use recovery service provider, provides supportive housing, employment opportunities, and community-based programming
Rockefeller Institute research details how SCO services are used and their benefits to individuals and communities
Albany, NY — A new report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government details the impacts of Second Chance Opportunities, Inc. (SCO), a New York Capital Region-based substance-use disorder (SUD) recovery service provider. The organization provides supportive housing, employment opportunities, and community-based recreational programming to help individuals through short- and long-term recovery.
Finding effective ways to support individuals in recovery from SUD is critical and the need is growing. Drug overdose deaths, already a widely discussed public health crisis in the 2010s, increased significantly during the pandemic. For individuals working to maintain their sobriety and abstinence, there can be a large gap between acute treatment to cease use and living a life in recovery.
The report details how SCO deploys wraparound services, the need they fill, and their benefits. SCO’s recovery housing program offers residents a supportive living environment designed to promote abstinence and help individuals build social supports and capital. The organization also operates a janitorial services company that employs individuals with SUD, offering them an opportunity to establish a track record of reliability, advance their financial management skills, and provide a stepping stone to future employment. SCO’s recovery community center brings together individuals and recovery coaches for regular programming to build community and connect individuals to the resources that work best for them.
“This unique organization is taking an innovative approach to addressing a critical need: helping those in recovery get on and stay on their feet,” said Laura Schultz, executive director of research at the Rockefeller Institute and lead author of the report. “This research shows an effective model for supporting the whole individual and details the broader positive impacts those services have on our regional economy and governments.”
SCO began collecting demographic data on the individuals it was serving in 2018 as part of an overhaul of its intake procedures. The report includes an analysis of this data, including information on family situation, justice involvement, and prior substance-use history and treatment. Some of the key findings from the report are:
Since 2018, SCO has served 1,361 individuals. It conducted 336 intakes in 2022. Two-out-of-three individuals are male; approximately half are people of color.
97% of those served by SCO seek guidance from a recovery coach support, a mentor who is also in recovery.
Recovery housing served 81 tenants in 2022 and 154 people have used recovery housing since it was established. The average stay is 18.7 months.
185 people worked on SCO’s janitorial contracts in 2022 for a total payroll of $3.8 million and an average hourly wage of $21.60.
For each individual who maintains their recovery and avoids active use, state and local governments save $13,200 in costs annually.
The report was co-authored by Rockefeller Institute Senior Policy Analyst Leigh Wedenoja.